*Ajax*
I lowered my head as I saw another figure walking towards the gate, hoping he wouldn't pay much attention to me.
Luckily, he seemed to be in a hurry as he went past me with quick steps as I looked at the back of the man whose future I had ruined.
I had taken away the most valuable thing he could ever wish to have.
And I didn't feel an ounce of regret or guilt.
Whatever, hardships he would face in life now he deserved, it was hard to tell now but he was already in the process of becoming a corrupted awakened.
The crimes he committed that were highlighted in the novel were by far the worst, but they were far from the first.
I left the gate behind as I heard Rollins arguing with a security guard.
I let out a sigh as I looked at the state of my clothes, I would have to visit the hunter association building again.
As I got rid of the blood on my clothes and body, I thought about what to do from now.
I could return to training, but my body felt heavy ever since I left the cave.
Most likely because the effects of my trait wore off.
I had plans considering future events of the novel but there was still quite some time before they would happen.
In the meantime, I should just focus on getting stronger, I had no idea what kind of changes would be caused by my actions, and I have to be ready to face the consequences.
I'll focus on mana training if I can't move my body, I want to see the limit of my improved control over dark mana.
I drew out the mana as I waited for a train, pitch black tendrils emitting from my palm.
Not only could I control my mana and convert it to dark but the inherent dark mana in the surroundings would also be drawn towards my core, like a mage.
However, I couldn't control it until it reached my body, so spells were not possible yet.
It was an invigorating feeling to absorb dark mana, I could speed up the rate of absorption by concentrating and it helped me recover some stamina.
"AAGH!"
I let out a sharp cry as shooting pain overtook my senses and my vision blurred from the pain.
My head was throbbing, and my concentration broke as mana dispersed into the surroundings.
I clutched my temples and gritted my teeth as the pain subsided as I let out deep breaths to calm myself.
'Right... I'm not the main character.'
Exercising control over mana would put a strain on any awakened and too much would cause overload.
The threshold for this was different depending on the person but it seems I reached my limit for today.
I wasn't like the main character, I couldn't unleash spell after spell with no drawback, I had wasted a lot of mana in the fight with the shreikers and now I was paying the price.
Any attempt to control mana now was met with a slight pain that got worse if I persisted.
I took a seat on the empty carriage of the train that arrived as I felt the exhaustion intensify.
'I'll close my eyes for a bit.'
*******
The screeching of the brakes woke me up as the train came to a stop.
I must have accidently fallen asleep.
I got off and took a deep breath.
'This is the wrong station.'
I slept through my actual destination, getting off at the academy station which in comparison to its usual busy nature was very quiet.
'10:35.'
Looking at the clock made me realize how long I had been stuck in the caves for.
It felt like a blur to me, but it was clearly a lot longer.
That also meant that the academy festival had begun, in fact I could hear cheering come from the academy from far away.
'It's alright, I'm in no condition to attend a festival anyway.
I decided to focus on recovery as I headed home.
As I was heading home though a loud car horn pulled me out of thought as I looked over to a sleek gold and black limousine with its window rolled down.
"Yo! Nice to see you Ajax."
Adam said excitedly from his rolled down window.
He looked a lot better now that he had rested and was wearing an expensive looking suit and tie.
"Adam? What are you doing here?"
"You know, if you say that to me every time we meet, I'm going to start thinking you don't like me very much." He replied teasingly.
"The celebration has already started." I said ignoring his comment.
"So? Most of the stuff before the evening is boring anyway, besides the real fun starts when I get on stage!"
He said arrogantly.
"Anyway, more importantly, where do you think you're going?" He asked.
"Home." I replied.
"Incorrect, get in."
The door to the car swung open, revealing the luxurious leather interior with bottles of wine and champagne in a cooler to the side.
I looked at the car and then him before saying.
"No."
"Oh, come on! What you think I'm going to kidnap you? What would I gain from that exactly?"
It wasn't that; I trusted him but getting into a stranger's car, especially one such as this felt weird.
However, after a bit of hesitation, I began to feel bad for refusing so quickly.
"Okay." I said as I moved towards the car.
"Yes! Alright, don't worry you can keep your stuff in the back." He said as he helped me place my weapon case and bag.
"You know you don't have to be so paranoid of everything. I understand being cautious but there has to be a limit." He said as I got inside the car.
The leather seats seemed more premium and expensive than anything I had owned in my previous two lives.
"I don't want to take too many favors." I replied to Adam.
"Not everything is a favor, sometimes people do things for each other just because they want to. Is that so hard to understand?" He asked.
It actually was to me, but I remained quiet.
He sighed before grabbing my weapons case.
"You mind if I take a look?"
I shook my head as he opened the case with a curious look in his eye.
However, his curiosity was replaced with disappointment as he looked at the weapon.
"Oh, come on! I could easily get you a weapon that's like ten times bet-""
"No."